


Alex Rider Discord Shorts

by TheInverseUniverse



Category: Alex Rider (TV 2020), Alex Rider - Anthony Horowitz
Genre: Angst, CREATOR CHOSE NOT TO USE ARCHIVE WARNINGS DOES NOT MEAN NO ARCHIVE WARNINGS APPLY, Fluff, Sick Fic, Whump, each chapter will have warnings with in
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:28:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27378748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheInverseUniverse/pseuds/TheInverseUniverse
Summary: Shorts I wrote on two Alex Rider discord servers preserved for the masses.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 55





	1. Outsider POV(ish), Misunderstandings

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo! So this is just putting my discord shorts in an easily accessible place. No real organization here and very little editing. Most of this will be whump and angst. They will vary wildly in length and quality.

**The Prompt:**

Okay a bit of an outsider POV fic idea that could be sad or humorous depending on how one takes it.

Post Scorpia rising, Alex is living at his old house with Ben as his guardian. Going to Brookland and dealing with his problems at school both academically and socially.

Ben makes Alex start seeing a therapist bc the boy needs it. This therapist specializes in PTSD in two main patient populations: veterans and human trafficking survivors.

(Ben tells Alex he chose this therapist bc of their specialty in veterans, but lbr Alex was labor trafficked)  
So Alex’s medical records get sent to the school at some point and it includes his therapist’s name. Someone on that paper trail either googled or knew of that therapist and their specialties. 

Obviously Alex isn’t a veteran, so he’s seeing this therapist who specializes in child trafficking victims. And this person then spreads that around in the water cooler talk. 

So all the staff at Brookland thinks Alex was trafficked after his uncle died. They’re suddenly so much nicer to him and he’s like what?  
And someone makes a disparaging comment about Jack, figuring she was trafficking him bc he’s getting help now that she’s dead and it started after she took guardianship. And he is not standing for that

**The Short:**

Alex stopped at the teacher’s desk in free period to turn in his paper.

“Thanks for letting me turn it in late, Ms. G.”

Ms. Gunther smiled at him and said, “Of course, Alex. I’ve been worried about you. I’m so glad that with Miss Starbright’s.... well. I’m glad you’re doing better.”

Alex froze. What? She couldn’t have just said that, could she? “Excuse me?” He asked.

“I just mean with your new situation,” Ms. Gunther explained delicately. “I’m happy things changed and that they’re working out better.”

She had just said that. 

“Did you just-“ Alex felt his fury and voice rising, but he was so galled that he could do nothing to stop it. “Did you just say you’re happy that Jack died?! That you’re glad she was murdered?!”

The five or so kids that were in Ms. G’s study hall looked up and stared openly, but Alex didn’t care. She couldn’t just say that about Jack. About the only person who never betrayed him.

“I-I just,” She tried to backpedal, surprised at his reaction. How was that surprising?? “I meant-“

“What’s fucking wrong with you?!” Alex demanded, shouting loud enough that he heard another teacher’s door open in the hall.

“Alex, lower your-“

“No! You fucking said you’re glad-!”

“Mr. Rider!” Another voice cut in. 

He whipped around to see Mr. Laurie, the maths teacher standing in the hallway. Alex cringed. 

“Go to the principal’s office, immediately,” Mr. Laurie ordered. He then addressed the gathered students who were watching with wide eyes, “Go to Mrs. James’s room until Ms. Gunther returns.”

The other students filed out and Mr. Laurie escorted Alex and Ms. Gunther to the principal’s office. Alex’s rage only grew on the way, fueled by the unfairness of this and the pain in his heart.

At the office, Alex was parked in a chair until the door opened and he was ushered inside and met with the principal and the guidance counselor. He didn’t need a counselor, Ms. Gunther did after saying that.

“Mr. Rider,” the principal said sternly, “I understand that Ms. Gunther upset you, but you cannot speak that way to a teacher.”

Alex stood and demanded, “Upset me?! She said she’s happy my guardian died!”

Here the counselor broke in, “Alex. That’s not what she meant. She meant she’s glad that you are no longer in a dangerous environment.”

“What?” Alex demanded. What were they on about? They didn’t know anything about his “dangerous environment”.

The principal tried to cut in here. “Alex, children in your situation often have difficulty managing emotions, so we’re not going to punish you. We understand that people often feel affection for their abuser.”

The counselor shot the principal a sour look for his lack of tact.

“Abuser?!” Alex shouted. “What, you have to defame her too, it’s not enough to dance on her grave?”

“Alex,” the counselor said softly, drawing his attention. “We know about what happened to you.”

“No, you don’t,” Alex promised.

“Believe it or not, you’re not the only child in London who has survived trafficking,” she said. “Let us help you.”

Alex reeled. “You-you think Jack was trafficking me?”

She nodded sympathetically. “I’m so sorry no one at the school saw the signs and helped you sooner.”

“I wasn’t being-“ but was that true? He swallowed hard and said, “Jack didn’t do anything.”

“Sweetheart-“

“SHE WAS THE ONLY PERSON WHO TRIED TO STOP IT, OKAY?” He screamed. Because she was. Ben had helped him so much, but when they were on missions he had never tried to stop Jones and Blunt.

The two adults were taken aback.

He sat back down, having jumped to his feet as he’d shouted. After a moment he said, “She was the only one who cared. Jack tried to stop it but she couldn’t, okay? No one did until they fucking lost interest in me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: I wrote this while tending a fire so that my brother could burn his McDonald's uniform.


	2. Whump, Alex tortured in front of Ben

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short and ~~sweet~~ angsty one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: torture. canon typical violence. This is barely a short but I liked it so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

**THE PROMPT (as written by Valak and inspired by imtoolazytothinkofausername:**

it’s only been a few months since him and Ben became partners and they get captured. Ben immediately goes cold, pretends not to know him or care what they do to him. He doesn’t even protest to leave him alone because he’s a kid. He knows what Ben’s doing. Knows it’s to protect him but right now it hurts because now, more than ever, he just wants to hear Ben say it’s going to be okay. Even a lie would be more comforting than the possible truth that Ben blames him for getting them captured.

**THE SHORT**

Alex and Ben are captured by bad guys. Ben is doing his cold detached routine. And then they hurt Alex but he won’t say anything because he knows they’ll kill Alex as soon as he talks.

So Alex is struggling not to think that Ben doesn’t give a shit what happens to him.

(Here Valak added: Oh no angsty Alex is convinced that Ben thinks he’s responsible for getting them captured)

And is letting the bad guys punish him.

“You really do not care about the boy? Seems odd. He is a child.”

“He’s some snot-nosed brat I’m stuck with. If I was working solo I wouldn’t have gotten captured.”

Alex knows it has to be a ploy, right? Right?

But then when the villain sees through it and starts to hurt Alex, Ben remains stony faced. He doesn’t break. And Alex has to wonder.

“Ben,” he gasps out after its too much for him. “Please.”

Ben winces, but that is it. And Alex’s heart breaks

They move on to the lighter and now Alex can’t help but cry. As he starts to sob, Ben can’t take it anymore.

He lunges forward and shouts, “Stop! Just leave him alone, damn it! I’ll tell you! Jesus Christ he’s just a kid.”

And Alex can’t trust that Ben’s blubbering apologies after are genuine.

(folsi is cheesed to meet you then posted SimpsonsCouldYouLightenUp.jpg)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: I met the real life former director of the CIA and NSA once and he was a very imposing dude.


	3. Yassen Saves Alex, kills people, misunderstandings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Murder boat, murder boat, does whatever a murder boat does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was is a bit complex but i really enjoyed writing it. It is also unfinished bc i had to go to work and you can't write this stuff at an elementary school.
> 
> Warnings: Murder, canon typical violence, gore

**THE PROMPT (courtesy of Lil Lupin)**

Consider a canon-based scenario in which the criminals do not even know that Yassen cares about Alex. Yassen turns up for a status report and is told that they caught “some kid” snooping around. Yassen has a bad feeling about this. He demands to know more. They don’t have much more - some blond teenager, smart mouth, got caught eavesdropping. They handed him to the henchman of the group, who beat him up and threw him over the side of the boat. Yassen thinks about this for approximately three seconds, shoots everyone on board and turns the boat around.  
(my addition)  
@Lil Lupin Alex is pulled out of the water onto this scene from a horror movie and thinks Yassen is about to murder him.

Unable to fight back and expecting to be serial murder style killed- if he only wanted him dead it’s easier to leave him. He must have worse plans

**THE SHORT:**

When the boat circled back around, Alex didn’t know what to expect. Somehow, by some grace, he had kept his head above water long enough to see it come back.

When the life preserver was thrown to him, Alex grabbed it. Whatever was waiting on the boat was better than drowning in the middle of the ocean. Right?

Alex held on to the circle for dear life as it’s pulled back to the boat. He looked up and saw Yassen on deck. The semi-familiar face was almost comforting.

A hand hauled Alex by the shirt onto the deck, and he collapsed against the rough surface, gasping for breath. He’d been treading water for so long.

“Why must you get yourself into these situations?” Yassen asked from where he stood above Alex.

Alex didn’t have the strength to respond, which was probably for the best.

Yassen picked Alex up in a fireman’s carry, and Alex let his head hang down.

That is, until he saw the blood on the floor.

He raised his head and saw the first body. One of the men who had beaten him and thrown him over board. The man was dead.

And not just shot. His stomach had been cut open from navel to sternum, letting his guts spill out. A supremely painful death. 

Alex gaped as Yassen carelessly stepped over the puddle of blood. Not much farther down, they came across another body. Another one of the men from before. His throat was slashed and blood soaked his front.

Alex looked at Yassen and saw the blood soaking his hands and chest. Had he done this? Weren’t these his coworkers or employees?

More bodies. Six men in total. Each brutally murdered. This was the cold gunshot of an assassin. It was.... sadistic.

Alex’s breathing picked up and he tried to struggle. “No,” he mumbled through exhausted lips. His weak protestations didn’t budge Yassen’s iron grip.

Had he deeply misjudged the man? Alex had thought of Yassen as professionally detached from his work. He was good at his job, but took no real enjoyment from it. Right? But what he’d done to these men spoke of someone who had relished their pain and deaths.

The world shifted as Yassen threw him down on a soft surface. A hide-a-bed.

He gaped up at Yassen, who was drenched in blood. A knife hung from his belt, still dripping blood.

Alex had been as good as dead in that water. If Yassen wanted him dead it was easier to leave him. Had the men on the boat not slaked his thirst?

He must have something worse than drowning planned for Alex.

Alex scrambled away from Yassen, his limbs like jelly from swimming for his life. In his panic, he fell off the side of the bed and onto the floor. He tried to stand but couldn’t, and collapsed weakly back to the ground.

Yassen stepped towards him and he threw a hand out like he could do anything to stop him.

“Please,” he gasped out.

“Al-“ Yassen began, but Alex cut him off.

“Just shoot me. Don’t- don’t hurt me.” Alex turned his head away and closed his eyes.

Alex didn’t have the strength for more torture. He’d been through so much of it in his short life, and he knew whatever Yassen could dream up would make the rest pale in comparison.

Had Yassen only spared him over the years to wait for this opportunity?

He was so tired. 

“If you ever cared about my da-“

He felt a hand on his jaw and flinched. Yassen guided his face back towards him and said, “Alex. Open your eyes.”

After a long moment, Alex did so.

Yassen was crouched in front of him. “I will not kill you.”

Alex flinched.

“You killed your men. Like-like a serial killer. Like a sadist.”

Yassen let go of Alex and tilted his head, allowing the comparison. “I did.”

“Then why save me?” Alex asked, only half wanting the answer. “Don’t hurt me. Please.”

“Little Alex,” Yassen said softly, almost like he hasn’t intended to be heard. Louder, he explained. “I will not hurt you. Well, so long as you are not foolish enough to attack me.”

_(Okay some of that dialogue could be ordered differently)_

Alex looked at him distrustingly.

“I killed those men because I thought they had killed you.”

Alex stared at him. He what?

“You killed your own men because of me??”

Yassen frowned. “They murdered a child.”

“Scorpia tried to murder millions of children,” Alex countered.

Yassen did not answer.

_Here is where I took a nap and then went to work so it went no further_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: There's a game you can play in Ohio called Six Degrees of Jeffery Dahmer. It's like six degrees of Kevin Bacon, except it's seeing how many "I know a guy who knows a guy who" it takes to get from you to Jeffrey Dahmer. For me, it's two steps. 
> 
> Bonus Fun fact: I was told I could be worse than Valak angst wise while writing this which was very high praise.


	4. Cement dentistry, coparenting AU, hurt/comfort, outsider POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex gets cement dental molds. There is hurt comfort with Yassen and Ben.  
> (If you haven’t checked out the coparenting AU by @freesirius4life, go get some fluff and humor in your life).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: medical trauma. Like some people in the discord noped out of this.
> 
> @Valaks wrote the first short that inspired my writing on this! She bequeathed me the rights to post this.

**THE PROMPT AKA VALAK’S AMAZING TRAUMATIC SHORT:**

Consider: “We need full molds” the dentist said without even introducing himself already carrying the filled trays in his hands. 

Ian took him to the dentist but it never was very consistent, not with Ian’s schedule. Before Jack there were a lot of missed appointments and not a lot of brushing without Ian around to remind him all the time (and Ian was pretty hands off anyways) so the dentist was never really a *pleasant* experience. This wasn’t new. 

He sat as patient as he could through the trays being fitted. Trying to breathe and focus on anything else.The crispness of the man’s white coat, the lines on it like it had just come out of a package. New then? Wonder what happened to the last one? A far too casual shirt on underneath with a hint of drying gray dust on the sleeves maybe form the molds?

“Bite down” the man ordered and Alex obeyed, “It cover em all?” And that was unusual too but maybe he saw Alex as a kid and was just trying to be casual but the dentist seemed just a little too intent on watching him after a few minutes of Alex feeling like he was choking he felt the paste gel up. Surely soon? 

The man stepped closer and Alex opened his mouth while he inspected the trays then leaned closer to his ear “Fuck with Skoda again, kid, and the concrete’ll be your _shoes_ *.”

He was too panicked trying to get the dry mold out to see where the man had gone.

**THE SHORT (as written by me):**

“We’ve got a uh, weird one.”

Dr. Drake, a second year resident at Royal Brompton’s ER, turned to the nurse. “Yeah?”

Jenna, an experienced charge nurse who had seen it all, said, “Yeah. Fifteen year old Caucasian male, presents as otherwise healthy.”

“Otherwise? What’s the complaint?”

“He’s got uh, dental molds. Cemented to his teeth.”

“And the dentist sent him here? What dental cement did he use?”

“Not dental cement.”

Drake put down his clipboard. “You mean to tell me there’s _construction cement_ on this kid’s teeth?”

“Yep.”

“Well that’s uh, that’s a new one.”

———

Drake went into the curtained off patient intake, where the patient was waiting with two men, presumably at least one was his father.

Drake checked the chart and saw “Alex Rider” listed. Guardians Ben Daniels and Yegor Gaganov. Ah, so they were both the fathers.

Alex his arm thrown over his face and he was tense and clammy with pain. One of his fathers held his hand and other stood at his side, looking ready to fight anyone who came through the door.

“I’m Dr. Drake, I’ll be seeing Alex tonight.”

Drake could see the pink and blue plastic, as Alex couldn’t properly close his lips around the molds.

“You have to get these off him,” the brown haired man holding Alex’s hand said, looking down right shell shocked.

“Why don’t I take a look,” Drake said, and both men helped Alex sit up. The boy did his best to open his jaw, letting Drake get a gloved finger in, where he felt the plastic molds. He gave the top one an experimental tug.

The mold didn’t move, but Alex cried out in pain and pulled back.

The blonde father spat something at Drake in a foreign language, and his partner replied placatingly in the same language.

Drake presumed it was Russian, and therefore assumed Yegor was the blonde man and Ben the other. They went back in forth a few times, Yegor looking downright murderous and Ben talking him down, until Yegor put a hand on Alex shoulder and looked at Drake.

“Be careful.”

“Of course,” Drake said. Russian. An unpleasant picture of how a teenager could wind up in cement was forming in his mind.

“My first priority is getting them off his teeth,” Drake explained. “Then we can assess any damage.”

The fathers nodded and Drake addressed Alex, “I’m going to get someone to bring in a saw to get the plastic off okay? Then we can see what we’re working with.”

_(Ngl no clue how you’d get cement off teeth. A chisel?)_

Alex nodded resignedly and Drake made a mental note to ask social work if he needed to get the fathers out of the room.

“You’ll be just fine, okay?” Ben assured Alex, not sounding sure of himself. Alex gave him an almost smile with his eyes. Mostly he just slumped against Yegor’s side.

Drake left and went back to Jenna the charge nurse. “Did they say how this happened? There’s no chance it was unintentional.”

“Apparently someone posing as the kid’s dentist,” Jenna said, not believing a word. “He was brought in by the squad, so police are already notified. His records from St. Dom’s came in. He was treated for a GSW to the chest a year ago.”

“His dad is Russian. If he’s been shot before, then I’m more certain. I think it’s a mob thing.”

Jenna nodded in agreement. “What else could it be?

Drake looked back into the ER, where he saw a tech working on Alex. He had tears running down his face and both of his fathers at his side both comforting him and holding him still. Poor kid.

———

Dr. Drake hung up the phone and rubbed his temples. Time to go make a family very unhappy with their options.

He wondered what kind of sick bastard would do this to a kid. And he wondered what had inspired both this attack and the one that had landed Alex in St. Dom’s. 

But it didn’t matter now. He went back into the ER, where Alex was waiting with his fathers.

Alex looked drained. He leaned against Ben this time, and hadn’t bothered to wipe the old tears from his face. The plastic had been removed, letting Alex close his lips over the rock in his mouth.

Poor kid. 

Yegor was having a quiet but heated conversation on the phone. Planning revenge? Making a deal? Drake didn’t know what mobsters did after their children were attacked. Nothing good.

“How are we doing?” Drake asked as he entered the space and closed the curtain behind him.

Alex gave him a firm thumbs down. Which, fair.

“So I’ve consulted with some other doctors and some chemists, and we’ve narrowed it down to two options for getting the cement off and you back on your feet.”

Alex looked at him intently, desperate for some relief.

“What are they?” Yegor demanded, having hung up his phone.

“The first option is to chisel it away, then use ultra sound to buzz the remainder off the teeth. This comes with the risk of broken teeth and respiratory distress from inhaling cement dust.”

“And the other?” Ben asked.

“We could break each piece in half with a chisel, then pull them off. Cement has almost no adhesion to smooth surfaces like teeth. This reduces the risk of broken teeth and respiratory damage.”

They looked interested in this and now Drake had to break the bad news.

“Both of these are going to cause trauma to his gums. Most of the pain he’s feeling is chemical burns from the alkalinity of the cement mixture. We can’t know how bad that damage is until we have the cement off.”

Alex closed his eyes and leaned his head back, trying to manage his emotions. He couldn’t imagine what the kid was going through.

“It’s up to you, Alex,” Ben said gently.

Alex made a distressed sound. Neither option would be fun. After a moment he lifted two fingers.

“The second option? No chiseling?”

Alex nodded.

“Okay, we’ll get things ready,” Drake said. “You’ll be right as rain before too long.”

———

The first attempt at getting Alex into the procedure chair had gone terribly. 

He walked into the room and saw the chair, and immediately tensed up.

Maggie, a procedure nurse, tried to calm him down and coax him over, but he had flinched hard at her touch and stepped away.

They took a second for cooler heads to prevail, before Alex walked begrudgingly over to the chair. The second he sat in it, his breathing picked up and he got that wild animal look that Drake saw on many patients right before either security or psych had to be called in.

And Drake couldn’t blame the kid. It was more or less identical to a dentist chair. And lord knew what kind of trauma the kid had around dentists now.

Maggie had quickly gotten him out of the chair and back into the hallway, where he proceeded to have a panic attack. 

Ben and Yegor were waiting outside, and immediately stood when Alex came back out.

Ben took Alex over to the chairs and rubbed his back while he struggled for breath.

“What happened?” Yegor demanded, getting into Drake’s space.

Drake stared back at him. He wouldn’t be bullied in his own hospital. “Alex has a panic attack. The procedure chair is similar to a dentist chair, which is what I imagine set him off.”

Yegor glared at Drake for another long moment. He was only called away when Alex made a plaintive sound with two syllable.

Yegor turned away and went swiftly to his son.

Drake waited for Alex to get himself under control before he approached the family.

———

Alex had gotten his panic attack back under control, and now both of his fathers sat sentry at either side. 

Drake went back to them and said, “I understand that this is hard. But, bud, we really need to help get that off your teeth.”

Alex nodded wearily, but didn’t move to stand.

“We can give you some anti anxiety medication?” Drake offered.

Alex shook his head frantically and said something incomprehensible but distressed. 

“Do not drug him,” Yegor said sternly.

Drake held back a grimace. That would make this easiest. But he nodded and said, “Okay, we won’t do that. Dads, can one of you scrub in and sit with him? Would that help, Alex?”

Alex let out a breathe. After a moment, he nodded and grabbed Ben’s hand.

“Okay, Mr. Daniels,” Drake said. “Come with me.”

———

Take two of getting Alex in the procedure chair hadn’t been _easy_ , but they did manage it.

Now Alex sat tensely, gripping the arm rests with white knuckles while Ben rubbed his shoulder and spoke softly to him.

Another doctor stepped forward, introducing himself. Drake had gotten another resident, Dr. Moriyama, to do this part, since he had worked construction in undergrad and had chiseled concrete before. This wasn’t exactly a medical procedure with established best practices.

Maggie coaxed Alex’s head back against the chair, and they all had to ignore Alex’s distress as she fashioned the strap around his forehead.

Ben moved to stay in Alex’s line of sight and said, “Hey, it’s alright. Look at me, Alex. They’re going to help you, okay? Hey, hey, cub, it’s alright. Can you open your mouth?”

Alex took a shaky breathe and opened his mouth, giving Dr. Moriyama room to work.

When the chisel touched the cement, Alex flinched hard, but his head was held still and he kept his jaw open.

“You’re doing great, bud,” Drake assured him.

Moriyama struck the precisely with two precise taps from a small hammer.

Alex cried out and raised his hands defensively, but Ben, acting fast, caught them both in his. 

“You’re okay, you’re okay.” He rubbed his thumbs on Alex’s palms and kept his eye.

“Did you get it?” Drake asked Dr. Moriyama.

“Yes,” he responded. “Top half is done, now just the bottom. You’re doing great, kid.”

Alex just closed his eyes as Ben squeezed his hands.

Dr. Moriyama efficiently split the bottom piece of cement, making Alex jump again but Ben kept his hands held tightly.

“Alright, no more hammer,” Drake announced. He thanked Dr. Moriyama and let him get back to MedSurg

Alex opened his eyes and slumped slightly, letting his jaw relax.

“Look at that,” Ben said. In a half hearted teasing voice he said, “And you didn’t even punch the doctor.”

Alex rolled his eyes.

Drake stepped back up to him and said, “Now I’m going to pull them out, okay? It’s going to hurt, okay?”

Alex swallowed and nodded as much as he could with his head held still.

“Is there a chance he loses the teeth?” Ben asked, and Alex’s eyes went wide.

Drake carefully explained, “It is a risk, yes. But the cement won’t bond to teeth, so that’s going to be a function of how severe the burns are. If EMS was able to flush the gums enough in time, he should keep them all. I’m hopeful he does.”

Alex said something fearful.

“All we can do now is get your mouth free, okay?”

Ben said, “Cub, come on. This is your best bet. Let’s get this over with.”

Alex closed his eyes and opened his mouth, letting Dr. Drake secure large forceps on either side of one upper jaw piece of cement.

He gave it a firm wiggle, and Alex flinched. But Drake pressed forward, pulling firmly and consistently until the cement pulled free with a sound like a suction cup made of stone.

Alex cried out in pain and blood immediately started to pour from his now exposed gums.

Maggie quickly moved in to flush the area with saline and suction it back up. She then pressed gauze to the area. Proper burn assessment could be done later.

“Why is he bleeding?” Ben demanded.

Drake checked the piece of cement. “He has all of his teeth still. He’s bleeding from where his skin was burned and adhered to the cement.”

Ben’s eyes went wide and he nodded.

He rubbed’s Alex shoulder. Alex had tears in his eyes but was trying to blink them away.

“Shall we continue?”

———

Eventually, it was done. All four piece of cement had been taken off, and Alex had kept all 28 teeth. Maggie unstrapped his head and he practically fell onto Ben.

Ben hugged him and rubbed his back. “You did great, Alex. It’s all done now.”

Alex nodded tiredly and pressed his face into Ben’s shoulder.

“Your other father’s waiting outside,” Dr. Drake said. “Why don’t we go see him?”

“Okay,” Alex said. The first word said since his ordeal began was muffled with gauze, but still fully formed.

He stood, looking absolutely drained, and they went back out to the waiting area outside the procedure room.

Yegor stood to meet them.

“Yassen,” Alex said plaintively.

The man immediately went to him, and Alex buried his face in his chest.

“Let us go home,” Yassen said, and Ben nodded in agreement.

“Let’s.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CO PARENT AU LIVES RENT FREE IN MY HEAD
> 
> Should I post this one as a separate one shot? Most have been too short to post but idk about this one.
> 
> Fun fact: me and my dad watched a mini documentary about why cheese consumption has increased in the us, so the next two weeks or so we’re gonna be sharing a ton of cheese facts. Bonus fun fact! Government cheese bricks were basically welfare for dairy farmers. (And then my dad went on a ten minute spiel about how good a gub’ment cheese sandwich was).


	5. Sick!fic, Yassen taking care of Alex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex is sick, Yassen helps in his own way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Believe it or not, I AM capable of writing fluff! (And yes someone will mock me for considering this fluff.)

Alex woke up in pain. His head was pounding and his muscles _ached_.

He forced himself to roll over, and felt out of breath from the effort. He gasped for breath and forced his crusty eyes open.

God he felt like shit.

Squinting against the light, he looked around and realized that he was in a bed an unfamiliar room. He startled and immediately regretted moving quickly. He put his head back down against the pillow and breathed for a moment before slowly pushing himself up to sitting, and then standing up.

He stumbled to the wall and leaned against it for balance. Had he been drugged? Poisoned?

He strained his brain for what he remembered. Being on mission. Feeling off and then suddenly feeling much worse over night. Trying to sneak in and getting discovered.

And then... passing out in Yassen’s arms?

Had he been kidnapped by Yassen?

He stumbled to the door, vertigo hitting him like a truck. It had to have been poison or drugs.

He slapped his hands against the handle and fell through the door.

Directly into Yassen’s chest

He stumbled back, but Yassen caught him by the arm.

Alex tried to yank away, but he was kitten weak with fatigue.

“You should be in bed,” Yassen said.

“Let me go!” Alex shouted, still weakly struggling. “What did you do to me?!”

Yassen quirked the slightest smile at that, _the bastard_.

“What? Poison? Drugs? Tell me!” Alex demanded, raising a fist and stumbling against Yassen’s hold as he over compensated and lost his balance.

Yassen smoothly caught him by the other arm to stop him from falling. “To bed,” he ordered, marching Alex back into the room.

“I’m- im gonna...” Alex muttered, losing his train of thought as Yassen frog marched him back to the bed.

“You’re going to lay down and rest,” Yassen said firmly.

“And just let you poison me?” Alex demanded weakly.

“You have not been poisoned or drugged, beyond the ibuprofen and pedialyte you had last night.”

“What?” Alex asked. He didn’t remember taking anything.

“You have the flu, little Alex,” Yassen said sternly. “Quite the severe case.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact! Horse shoe crabs have blue blood that clots aggressively when exposed to pathogens. So humans use their blood to test vaccines and other medication for safety. So we catch horseshoe crabs, steal some of their blood, and then throw them back to sea.
> 
> And if we didn’t do this they’d probably be extinct because they wouldn’t be as much as conservation priority.


End file.
